I imagine those poor souls trudging miserably down the hill over autumn leaves, accompanied by the mournful roar of the M4 motorway, cursing Ivan Gazidis, Stan Kroenke et al while their team rattled in six goals after the break to send their loyal support cartwheeling.

I have never empathised with anyone who leaves games early because their side was losing. I have to swallow every last drop of humiliation as well; I want to share the players' disconsolate heads at the final whistle, their spent body language and ignoble retreat from the battlefield.

The memory of bitter defeat surely makes victory taste that much sweeter. If you want guaranteed ecstasy, don't be a sports fan.

So serve those glory-hunters right for missing the most amazing comeback of the season.

Still, with a total of 17 changes from Saturday's Premier League, a 5-7 result does not add to the League Cup's struggling credibility.